Companies that Stand Behind Their Products

Physter sent me a new cartridge which works fine. The old one had
gotten really hard to move with the handle. I took the old one apart
and it seemed like all it needed was some new grease on the surface of
the ceramic disks. I wiped the disks clean and they are so perfectly
smooth that when I put them together I could hardly get them back
apart they stuck so well to each other because of the perfect
smoothness. Almost like magnets. I greased it and if feels like
new but the real new one is already installed so now I have one more
"part" to store.

It's not just about the product being as advertised, it's also about
customer satisfaction in general. In some cases, it's not about the
company that made the product, but the retailer that you bought it from.
I bought an $300 appliance from Bed Bath & Beyond as a Christmas gift
for SWMBO and I. The product is everything it was advertised to be.
It works just like the manufacturer said it would. It just so happens
that it is not to our liking for reasons unrelated to specific issues
with the unit. (e.g. it's bigger than we expected, it has features
that we've determined that we don't need, etc.) In other words, while the product itself is well worth the $300 price tag, it's not worth $300 to
us.
With no questions asked BB&B took it back and refunded the total amount.
Not store credit but cold hard cash. Apparently they will honor this type of
return for a full year after the purchase. It was purchased on line and they
would have paid for return shipping if I had chosen to ship it back as opposed
to taking it into a store. Now that's customer service.

I agree. Seems like a win/win for everyone.
The problem with the case I bought was that it was not as long as
described. I purchased it from one of Browning preferred online dealers,
because it's much cheaper to buy it that way than from Browning
directly. The length of the case was very important because the rifle is
long, and that's not even taking the scope into account.
I spoke to Browning, more to tell them about the problem because I had
already arranged to send it back to the retailer I purchased it from.
Browning sent me a shipping label and once they received the case,
immediately sent out a new one, which they measured before sending it.
Worked for me.

Manufacturers have a stake in their customer's happiness -- at
least if they want to remain viable and respected (not all do,
apparently).
We bought a mattress+boxspring, recently (from that national chain
that has been buying up all its competitors). It arrived wrapped in
plastic inside a *box*.
Delivery gorillas removed it from box out in the street. Why they didn't
carry the semi-rigid box up to the front door and unpack it THERE is
a mystery to me!
Now they've got a large, bulky, "flexible" item in a slick, LOOSE plastic
wrapper that they have to somehow manhandle up to the front door and then
through the house to the bedroom. They weren't out of the street before
they had ripped the plastic and dropped the mattress into the dirt
(having rained earlier)!
And, were annoyed that we noted the condition on delivery -- instead of
just signing on the dotted line.
That wunnerful (sarcasm, here!) national chain said that was not
acceptable and we were justified in our dissatisfaction. "We'll send
out a replacement tomorrow!" (or maybe it was two days later?)
Replacement arrives. I greet the truck in the roadway -- just like
the previous.
Hmmm... this mattress is NOT in a box. And, the plastic wrapping looks
like it isn't original. OK, don't jump to conclusions... they may have
a reason for this!
Get the REPLACEMENT mattress in the house and, "Gee, look at that?
It's (top layer) actually been TORN!" And, they want me to think it
came from the manufacturer that way? <grin>
So, we refused the delivery. Now we're stuck with the original soiled
mattress.
Talk to manufacturer. They are upset that one of their "agents" has
tarnished their "user experience" and will GLADLY ship us out a
replacement cover (it's a sort of quilt that zips off -- with a bit of
work). "Please place the old cover in the box that the replacement
arrives in and use the preprinted shipping label to return it to us."
We bought another "set" just last week. You can bet we didn't
use that "national chain that has been buying up all of its
competitors"! :>

<read and snipped for brevity>
That sort of non stop hassle is frustrating. Luckily, I don't think I've
ever had anything go so far south.
I was worried about the gun safe when it was delivered. The guys who
brought it backed their truck and trailer down my driveway, which is not
an easy task. They had the safe in the house, unpacked and set in place
in a matter of minutes. They explained what needed to be explained and
asked me if I wanted them to remove the box. I said no because we wanted
to keep it for our grandson.
After they left, I called the moving company and told them that these
guys were excellent :)

We try not to complain (nor praise!) over the phone. It's too easy
for your words to end up on the "wrong" ears.
If it's worth griping (or singing!), then we take the time to compose
a letter. In our experience, people seem to give more credibility
to something that's taken "visible" effort to prepare (i.e., anyone
can dial a phone and rant; taking time to organize your thoughts
into a "presentation" shows some extra value).
It also gives us a record of what we said, etc.

There is a local chain of gas/lube/wash locations in my area. I have
been using a particular location for many years. In the past year I
have experienced 3 different issues with 3 different vehicles involving
3 different employees, all related to services at the lube shop.
(Grease on my carpets, a billing issue and possibly the use of the
wrong oil).
While each of the issues (other than the incorrect oil) are minor when
viewed individually, 3 problems caused by 3 different employees could
indicate a systemic problem with the management of the shop. To put my
concerns in writing, I used the feedback utility on the company's website.
After I submitted the form, there was a message saying "Thank you for your
feedback. One of our representatives will respond within 48 hours."
It has been now been 5 days and no one has contacted me. I will be
following up, this time adding their non-responsiveness to my list of
issues.

Not unless they send me a ton of free oil change coupons. At that point I'll
try a different location to see how it goes.
The grease and the billing error were kind of acceptable mistakes...things happen. The only real downside was that it took 2-3 times longer than it
should have for both oil changes and I am not a patient man.
The most recent error was a bit more serious. It was the first time I had
taken SWMBO's Honda Element into that location. That meant that they had to
add the vehicle to my account. When he came out with the bill, he told me
that he had entered the wrong model but that it didn't matter, because the
engines are the same and they use the same oil. I calmly (as much as I could)
told him that a Honda Pilot does not have the same engine as a Honda Element,
nor does the Element use 5W-30 oil. "Oh, I used 5W-20, not 5W-30, it just
says that on the bill."
I then calmly (sort of) handed him the keys back and told him to re-do the
oil change (including the filter) and to make sure that the next bill he gave
me had all the correct information on it. I keep all the maintenance records
my vehicles and I didn't need a bill showing an oil change for a vehicle that
I not own.
When I got home I (calmly) logged into their website and informed them of my
experiences. I'll give them one more day to respond. If I don't see a response
by tomorrow morning, I'll be on the phone with their corporate office.

An update:
I just called their corporate office. When I explained that no one has
contacted me since last Sunday, the (very nice) gentleman searched for my
feedback by last name, telephone number and email address, all of which
were required fields on the feedback page. He was not able to find my
feedback.
In an effort to ensure that I hadn't done anything wrong on my end, I entered
a short "feedback test" on their website while he was on the phone. When I was
done I saw the same "Thank you for your feedback. A representative will contact
you within 48 hours" message. Since this message does not appear until after
the form has been submitted, I felt comfortable that I done everything
correctly on my end.
Once again the (very nice) gentleman searched for my feedback by last name,
telephone number and email address. He was not able to find my most recent
feedback. "There seems to be a problem with the link between the website
and our claims department. I will report that issue immediately."
I (calmly) explained to him that it does not make his company look very good
when feedback is submitted, a response is promised, and the feedback
apparently ends up in a digital shit can.
He apologized profusely and gave me an email address directly to the claims
department with the promise that if I sent my feedback to that email address
it will not be ignored. I (calmly) told him that not only would I send them
the feedback about the issues at the specific lube shop, I would now include
some feedback about the inner workings of their feedback site.
It appears that the sloppy management practices that I hoped were limited
to a specific lube shop may indeed be a much bigger problem.

Well, you are making progress. Is this a franchise place? The owner for your
area-he may own one or several-determines the quality. They can be subject
to web site vagaries same as any company. See what happens next and report
back...

From their FAQ:
"Are the locations franchised?
No. We are a family owned and operated business headquartered in City, St. Remaining family owned allows us to maintain the great service and quality we've become famous for."
Something is slipping, both at this specific location and on their corporate
website.

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